The Alchemist's Guide to Flesh and Blood Ascension

Some time ago, around the time when Yunevo was still taking on monster bounties with Iseria to build up their reputation...

They encountered an unexpected "order-grabbing" incident.

The culprit was a sand falcon that was attempting to hunt a sand scorpion more than five times its own size.

It attacks the same vulnerable spot repeatedly by pecking, stabbing, and focusing its attacks on a single point until the sand scorpion's thick carapace is pierced straight through.

Having repaired the so-called adaptive core of the Sand Armor, Yunev had naturally witnessed how those fragile gaps crumbled when worn to their limit.

This scorpion is essentially a larger version of a "good guy," with even stronger defenses in its solid areas and weaker defenses in its vulnerable areas.

Furthermore, although this thing is swift, it is not without its own patterns. Seeing so many people die in the church, Yoniv has at least figured out the logic behind its attacks.

Drilling into the sand, launching a surprise attack, drilling again and disappearing again... the time they surface is extremely short, but there is indeed such a gap—for breathing.

"Hey, you brainless idiots at the church," Yunevo began, his pronoun clearly referring to Bassos. The black-robed alchemist continued, "Next time it burrows underground, you should be able to stop it, right?"

Barthos nodded silently. He had already picked up his halberd again, turned his back, and tentatively sensed the scorpion's next move.

"And you shouldn't just stand here like idiots. If it's just me doing all the work," Yunevo paused, his tone becoming heavy, "we'll still die here."

Iseria blinked, said nothing, and silently extinguished the ethereal radiance that had been accumulating in her hand.

Upon hearing this, the cultists showed a hint of panic on their faces again, but Seth coughed lightly to calm the situation and said seriously, "What do you want us to do? Just say it... Alchemist."

"The magic-suppressing effect produced by the Scorpion is not without its countermeasures," Yunefu said, pressing his chest and feeling the pulsation of the [Unquenchable Sand], "Its higher rank results in a stronger effect and a superior ability to draw upon magical energy."

"We need time, alchemist," Seth understood Yunevo's meaning and turned to look at the "crooked and broken" remnant.

But then Yunevo's tone turned serious: "Once it has completely digested that giant worm and evolved such an exaggerated defensive capability... we really won't have a chance."

"Did you hear that? At this moment, anyone who doesn't contribute will be considered a heretic..." Seth raised his hand first, chanting the eighth-tier spell [Dawn Judgment] in a low voice.

The burden of casting spells beyond one's level is indeed unbearable for ordinary mages. He felt as if his lungs were about to explode, and every breath brought up a strong, sweet and pungent smell.

Not to mention, the overdrawn magical energy channels are gradually withering away without much replenishment from natural magical energy!

The cultists in front of Seth acted as if they were dead, already severely injured, yet they were still pushing their bodies to participate in the condensation of [Dawn's Judgment]...

A bottle of bright blue magical repair potion was tossed into Seth's arms by Yunevo.

"Use it sparingly," the black-robed alchemist said leisurely, before stepping into the "arena" made of yellow sand and joining the great melee.

But in the instant his figure was obscured by the yellow sand... he secretly activated [Sandstorm of the Sky], one of the active skills brought by [Unquenchable Sand].

What kind of feeling is that?

It was as if the first-person perspective had suddenly been changed to the third-person perspective. Yoniv looked down at the entire battlefield, yet felt that every grain of sand and every gust of wind was composed of him.

It can be described as being able to act on any whim!

The swirling sand surrounded Bassos, who wielded his halberd, repeatedly thwarting the attacking scorpion until it grew somewhat weary, its burrowing through the sand slowing down by only a fraction...

"Now!" Seth shouted, no longer gathering the power of [Dawn Judgment], but instead "tearing down" a beam of sunlight and slashing it fiercely at one of the scorpion's limbs!

Roar--!

The scorpion, in pain, spurted out a strange, purplish-gold blood, and, unable to maintain its balance, fell to one side!

This is the perfect time to press our advantage!

Bartholomew thought so too. He slid over the scorpion's back as it was about to crash down, circled around to its side where its limbs were still intact, and was about to raise his hand to strike the joints hard...

Unexpectedly, the sandstorm that had been attacking him in tandem dissipated, and the scorpion's tail swept over swiftly at an odd angle!

Bassos' armor had already been mostly destroyed in the battle, so how could he possibly withstand that terrifying blow with his bare body now?!

The next moment, he was sent flying backward, his internal organs shattered!

Looking back at the upper half of the scorpion's human body, it stretched out its hands and pushed off the ground with a bang. Using the momentum from the sweeping tail, its entire body instantly returned to its normal posture!

Iseria clenched her fists, and the subtle vibrations emanating from the sandstorm that was Yunevo had transformed into were quietly telling her—she was about to make her move.

Then, a huge whirlwind, big enough to blot out the sky, rose up from the ground!

If you look closely, you can even see blue and white light that is unique to the ethereal element!

Now, the sandstorm has swallowed the scorpion whole, leaving only the clanging sound of metal striking metal.

The scorpion desperately tried to burrow into the sand, frantically digging at it with its pincers, only to be pulled away by the powerful suction of the sandstorm.

Yunefu had long anticipated the Scorpion's intentions, from the moment he transformed into the [Sandstorm of Devouring Heaven]...

This salon roll has two vortices.

One rotates clockwise, and the other rotates counterclockwise.

It was like two extremely powerful eighth-tier mages were fighting each other, and the Scorpion was the unlucky "passerby" standing in the very center!

The periodically pulsating air pressure transformed into a "giant hammer," pounding the sand on the ground until it became soft... and then suddenly shoved the scorpion's head into the sand!

But that was just the beginning. Just when they thought they had a chance to escape, the scorpion's tail was pulled straight by an extremely strong force, which then forcibly pulled out the small section of its body that was buried in the sand!

Amidst the violent, swirling sand mixed with ethereal blades, its form seemed to be twisted beyond recognition!

But it was thanks to the defense provided by the giant stone-shelled insect that it managed to survive this "natural disaster"...

The sandstorm suddenly dissipated.

The location is far from the prime commercial route...

Unaware that Yonivo had somehow appeared beside Iseria, he supported her shoulders, covered her head, and felt the world spinning around her.

While the [Sandstorm of Devouring Heaven] is powerful, the burden it places on the body and mind is also obvious.

He turned into countless grains of sand, naturally experiencing countless layers of terrifying dizziness—Yonev vowed that next time he would only treat this skill as a sandstorm to blow and sweep, and would never create any more of that damn tornado!

Now... please let this black-robed alchemist vomit quietly for a while.

After all, the scorpion had lost all its limbs, with only its tail, which was barely able to support itself, remaining intact.

The half of the armored body on top seemed to have a consciousness, and looked at the intact Golden Trade Route with relief.

Yunevo gagged twice, covered his mouth, and seemed somewhat dazed. "Iserlia... do you... remember that folk song?"

"That folk song, the one we heard when we escorted caravans in the past..."